Community 101

Consider this a warning. If you have any value for your performance in your exams this term then you should stay very, very far away from Community. Because if you’re not careful you will soon find it eating up all of the time that you should probably put aside for working or spending time with your loved ones. Binge watching TV is hardly anything new and you’ve probably got a backlog of stuff that people have told you is ‘unmissable’ already but Community needs to go right to the top of your cultural to-do list. Why? Because it’s one of the strangest, smartest and most compelling things to grace our screens in years and it demands to be seen. It’s also hilarious.

At the centre of the action is Jeff Winger, a self-centred ex-lawyer who is sent to community college when it is discovered that he had been lying about having a degree. There he falls in with a gang of misfits and everyone learns valuable lessons about self-respect and the importance of treating other people well. If this sounds like a hackneyed premise for a comedy it’s because, well, it is. But Community knows this and exploits it to become one of the most subversive things on television. It openly comments on sitcom clichés and frequently reverses them, sometimes for comedy and sometimes for pathos.

Speaking of subversion, Community also utterly defies genre classification. While keeping the same characters and setting, it changes not only its story every week but also its style and tone. One week it will be a coming-of-age drama, the next a spy thriller. There’s an episode that takes the form of an exciting maritime adventure but takes place entirely in a parking lot. Half the fun comes from the suspense of never knowing whether an episode will be standard sitcom fare or something totally unique. The best surprises are too good to spoil here. That all sounds a bit pretentious but it’s executed with such charm and likeability that it never feels self-indulgent or flippant.

That likeability stems mostly from the characters, by far the best aspect of the show. Any one of the lead characters would be funny, interesting and engaging enough to carry a whole show alone. This is largely due to the strength of the cast. It’s such a talented ensemble that to single out any one individual for praise feels unfair. Danny Pudi and Chevy Chase have the flashiest roles as the uber-meta Abed and the racist, curmudgeonly, moist-towlette tycoon (no, really) Pierce but they never threaten to steal too many scenes.

Half the fun comes from the suspense of never knowing whether an episode will be standard sitcom fare or something totally unique.

In fact the longer you spend with each character the more you realise that every one is a candidate for being the funniest on the show. Joel McHale nails the leading man routine as Jeff, bringing a perfect balance of charisma and sleaziness to a role that could just have been a boring straight-man. Alison Brie is delightful as the sweet but terrifyingly neurotic Annie. I can’t exactly describe Donald Glover’s performance as former quarterback and prom king Troy but it’s definitely not what you’d expect from that description. Oh, and Ken Jeong is in it. And he’s incredible.

I appreciate that I just listed almost the entire cast as examples of standout performances but it would be a disservice not to. Most importantly, the chemistry between them is so good that just watching them on screen is a joy. It’s also the reason why Community works so well when it slows down the pace of the jokes and allows some time to be a surprisingly effective drama.

Sadly Community never got the success it deserved in the ratings but you can help to change that. The fifth season just started on Sony Entertainment Television, sadly without Chevy Chase, and there’s plenty of fun to be had just by jumping in, even at this late stage. However that isn’t the best way to watch it. Instead buy, borrow or steal the box set of the first season, put some time aside and enjoy some of the best comedy on television. You won’t regret it. They’re only exams after all.

Watch Community on Sony Entertainment Television, April 17 at 22:05.